Effect of drying-wetting cycles on leaching behavior of cement solidified lead-contaminated soil

- Effect of wetting-drying cycles on leaching behavior.
- Wetting-drying cycles accelerated lead leached in solidified specimens.
- Increase of cement addition resisted the corrosion of solution.
- Leached lead concentration increased with acidity of solution.
- pH of leachate decreased with wetting-drying cycles.

Lead contaminated soil was treated by different concentration of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Solidified cylindrical samples were dried at 40 °C in oven for 48 h subsequent to 24 h of immersing in different solution for one drying-wetting. 10 cycles were conducted on specimens. The changes in mass loss of specimens, as well as leaching concentration and pH of filtered leachates were studied after each cycle. Results indicated that drying-wetting cycles could accelerate the leaching and deterioration of solidified specimens. The cumulative leached lead with acetic acid (pH = 2.88) in this study was 109, 83 and 71 mg respectively for solidified specimens of cement-to-dry soil (C/Sd) ratios 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, compared to 37, 30, and 25 mg for a semi-dynamic leaching test. With the increase of cycle times, the cumulative mass loss of specimens increased linearly, but pH of filtered leachates decreased. The leachability and deterioration of solidified specimens increased with acidity of solution. Increases of C/Sd clearly reduced the leachability and deterioration behavior.